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Icons
not sure if this will work but try, windows display properties>appearance>effects>use large icons.
you can reset back to normal icons once you have applied.
this used to work with some acad installations when autodesk changed the icon color from red to blue. -
Icons
I can't make any sense of the icons either. I get a mix, as shown below. These are all files created and saved in the same version of SW, many of them on or around the same date. The image also shows another annoying issue with the ones that do show the part. Sometimes I get a nice white background, sometimes is shows the SW background colors. I would like them to always be white.
Wish I could be more helpful than just jumping on your bandwagon, David.-
Icons
Jim Wilkinson
Mar 7, 2008 4:17 PM
Hi Dan,
If you open and save each of the files, does it then show the thumbnail properly (assuming you have the thumbnail option turned on in Options when you do the save)?
The ones with the white background look like they were saved in SolidWorks 2008 where we always make the background white and the thumbnail has been changed to a higher resolution. The one with a blue background looks like it was saved in a version prioir to SolidWorks 2008 where we used a background color from the viewport and lower resolution. The others look like they may have been saved at a time when the option was off or not working.
Note that Microsoft caches these thumbnail images in Windows Explorer so I think sometimes it won't change from the yellow icon to a thumbnail even if you do a save. As a test, you can do a Save As and save it as a new filename just to check to make sure the thumbnails are working properly on new files. Unfortunately, I don't know how to clean the Windows cache to update from the icon to the thumbnail if it has cached it that way for existing files.
Thanks,
Jim-
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Jim,
I haven't installed 2008 yet, so I don't know why some have the white background (actually, it seems the white background icons have a slight majority over the generic block image, with the blue backgrounders coming in third).
If I open and save either the white or block image files, the pickup the current SW background. I wish I knew how so many of them got white in the first place. It is much better than the darker background. (and no, I never had my SW background set to white)
I have to put in a plug for David, and ask if you have any thoughts on his original issue, since I feel I have inadvertently hijacked his thread.
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I just did a little more experimentation, and found and interesting workaround. I can set my background color to white, and use an image file (like sky.png), and my SW screen shows the image, but the thumbnail takes on the actual color settting - in this case white.
I also found that opening and saving one that already has a white background does appear to drop the resolution. I then recalled that I did have 2008 briefly installed along with 2007, but never opened any of these files with 2008. I realized I was too busy to figure out 2008 right now and took it off. So somehow that must have influenced the icons while it was installed. Very strange all of this.
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thanks, the term "clearing Windows cache" would best describe my previous post.Jim Wilkinson wrote:
Note that Microsoft caches these thumbnail images in Windows Explorer so I think sometimes it won't change from the yellow icon to a thumbnail even if you do a save. As a test, you can do a Save As and save it as a new filename just to check to make sure the thumbnails are working properly on new files. Unfortunately, I don't know how to clean the Windows cache to update from the icon to the thumbnail if it has cached it that way for existing files.
Thanks,
Jim-
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Kenneth,
In case you were curious if your method works, I tried it, and in my case it made no difference. I guess the issue is a little petty in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it is the little things that seem most annoying.
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Jim,
I have two of 3 machines where I get a generic windows document icon, regardless of the SW settings, regardless of the Windows settings, and regardless of how many times I tell Windows explicitly to use certain icons for certain extensions. This is in XP and seemed to start with SW2007.
On my Vista machine, all I remember is that the display scheme is different again for thumbnails, and there are fewer options, none of which seem to work, so I don't have any idea what I should be expecting, other than for things to change every time I install a new SW version.-
Icons
Hi Matt,
I think you said it all with:
"...so I don't have any idea what I should be expecting, other than for things to change every time I install a new SW version."
If you know this to be true, then you're not suprised by anything!
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Hi allJim Wilkinson wrote:
Unfortunately, I don't know how to clean the Windows cache to update from the icon to the thumbnail if it has cached it that way for existing files.
for clearing the windows cache: in the windows explorer go to TOOLS\FOLDER OPTIONS click on the second tab VIEW in the list Uncheck HIDE PROTECTED OPERATING SYSTEM FILES (RECOMMANDED), you'll have a message box Are you sure blah,blah.... Yes you're sure. Close this, now in your folder you'll find a thumbs.db file: this is the cache. Delete it, close windows explorer, open it again browse to your folder, normally that's ok. Return now in the TOOLS\FOLDER OPTIONS and recheck the HIDE PROTECTED OPERATING SYSTEM FILES (RECOMMANDED) item.
I've done this many, many times and never had any problem.
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Thanks for your replies.I shall keep looking into this as the thumbnails were very useful when trying to find a part quickly.
I tried to upload an image with this post but it didn't work, I tried a JPEG and a Bitmap, am I in the wrong format? Dave. -
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ok, I just looked into this and the box was already unchecked. I checked and unchecked it again but still no thumbnails? -
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David,
Depending on the package used to create images, some use a 4 letter extension (JPEG), while other use 3 (jpg).
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Just re-installed Solidworks and the problem no longer occurs.
Maybe my problem with parts going transparent will stop now as well. -
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I am still having this problem. Windows XP solidworks2007 SP5. I tried re-installing several times and no help. Any other suggestions?
Edit: I found a fix here Thumbnail fix
